When I was a little girl, my mother would often tell me that I could be anything in the world that I wanted to be when I grew up.

"Anything?" I’d ask, incredulous. "Even an astronaut?" That, to me, was the most far-out profession in the world.

"Even an astronaut," my mother said.

That timeless message of encouragement to achieve is the theme of the new children’s book by Jennifer Fosberry, "My Name is Not Isabella."

In the story, little Isabella goes through her day adopting the identities of several accomplished women in history. Her mother wakes her in the morning, addressing Isabella by her name, prompting the little girl to declare “My name is not Isabella!” Her mother asks who then has been sleeping in her daughter's bed, and Isabella responds “I am Sally, the greatest, toughest astronaut who ever was!"

Her mother responds, "Well, Sally, Blast out of bed, put on your space suit and come downstairs for breakfast."

Sally is, of course, Sally Ride, the first American woman to soar into space.

Her mother then tells Sally it’s time to eat breakfast. The girl adopts a new role, declaring her name is not Sally! "I am Annie, the greatest fastest sharpshooter who ever was" -- a reference to 19th century gunslinger Annie Oakley.

The rest of the book continues this way as the little girl takes on the identities of six female role models.

This could have been too gimmicky, but the book carries it off. I like that there's a short biography of each of the women at the end of the book as well, so you can explain the significance of each of the women mentioned. The pictures are beautifully and imaginatively drawn. (One picture showing Isabella as Rosa Parks is especially well done, with the color picture fading from one side to the other into black-and-white). Encouraging girls to dream big may be a simple concept, but it's elegantly presented.

My 2.5-year-old daughter loves it. She’s asked to have it read to her several times and she loves asking about the details in the pictures. To be honest, I’m not sure how much of the message is sticking with her, but as pure entertainment, it works.

But I can see how this could capture the imaginations of third-graders, fifth-graders, even 39-year-olds like myself and nudge them into finding out more information on these women. (Did you know that Sioux warrior Sitting Bull watched a performance by Annie Oakley in which she shot out a wick of a burning candle and was so impressed, he asked to meet her and be photographed with her? I previously did not!)

Finally, I love that one of the heroes that Isabella names is her own mother. It’s a great reminder to our children — and ourselves — to recognize the accomplishments and respect the achievements of the people you see every day. For me, the reason I took my mother’s encouragement to heart is because I knew what she herself had accomplished. When she attended law school in Korea in the 1960s, she faced the intense pressure of being the only woman in her program. She persisted, excelled and graduated first in her class.